Unit 9 Competency 2 - Recognize career opportunities within the field of computer engineering

Suggested Objective a:  Discover the different career pathways within computer engineering

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Image copied from http://www.bu.edu/ece/about/ Links to an external site. on December 1, 2014

Computer Engineer


            Computer Engineering seems to be the most straight forward career that a CpE major will go to upon graduating. In this career you will be dealing mainly with hardware or software. You will be designing, testing, and building computer applications. You will be working in a variety of settings. Computer engineer's working space vary from a home office to a big corporation. Computer Engineers are known to work all over the place, from public to private sectors. 
            Computer Engineers who specialize in software must be able to read and write in high-level programming languages such as C++, java, and COBOL. Also the Engineers who specialize in software must be familiar with the internet and how to develop and maintain a website. Developing and maintaining a website is a very important skill because many businesses want to make, or already have, a web page or internet services in order to grow closer to their clients.
            Computer engineers who specialize in computer hardware work in research, design, development, testing, and supervision of all aspects of the manufacturing and installing of computer hardware. The hardware of a computer includes chips, circuit boards, systems, keyboards, modems, printers, and other related equipment. Some computer hardware engineers have a background in electronics because the two fields are related, because computer hardware involves circuitry.
            Computer Engineers are used almost everywhere. With this career choice, you are eligible to work in the fields of business, telecommunications, government, and health care. According to a 2006 report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of computer software engineers was close to $80,000. Since we live in a society that is rapidly growing technology wise, it is projected that the demand for Computer Engineering will increase by 38 percent by the year 2016. This increase will open up about 324,000 new jobs.

Computer Architect


            Computer architects are primarily tasked with increasing overall system performances to meet the needs of businesses and other organizations. Their responsibilities can range from designing gaming software to improving meteorological models for weather forecasting. Computer architects put together individual components to build new systems that meet cost, performance and function goals. They research, design, develop and test computers and related equipment. This may include designing supercomputers for government agencies or new business tools, such as phone applications. Some write algorithms to help computer operations run more smoothly and effectively. Computer Architects' salaries are similar to those of Computer Engineers.

Chip Architect


            A chip architect is a career that deals mostly with hardware development; more specifically, microchips. In this career some of the responsibilities are

  • Market researching to decide what kind of chip to create. (Commercial use chip, high performance chips.)
  • Coming up with a high level (in Java, C++, etc.) performance model for the chip and running it to see if the performance numbers match the performance specifications defined for the chip.
  • Partition the chip into several major Blocks and to come up with a 1-page document for each of the blocks describing its functionality. These pages will then be passed on to micro architects.
  • Coming up with a reference manual.
  • Work with different departments of the computer industry to receive feedback of major and minor flaws within the architecture of the chips.

The salary of a chip architect is around $98,000 as of June 2011.

Networking Engineer


            Network engineers are responsible for installing, maintaining and supporting computer communication networks within organizations (hospital, Government buildings, Schools, etc.). Their goal is to ensure the smooth operation of communication networks in order to provide maximum performance availability for their users (staff, clients, etc.). Network engineers can work as part of an IT support team (Information Technology).
            Typical work activities of a Network engineer depends on the size and type of the employing organization. However the basic responsibilities remain unchanged. These include:

  • Installing, supporting and maintaining new server hardware and software infrastructure.
  • Managing email, anti-spam, and virus protection.
  • Setting up user accounts, permissions and passwords.
  • Monitoring network usage.
  • Ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient use of servers.
  • Suggesting and providing IT solutions to business and management problems.

As of June 2011, the average salary of a Networking Engineer is calculated to be about $90,000 a year.

Software Engineer


            If you decide to pursue a career in software engineering, you will be dealing with more of the computer science side of the Computer Engineering major rather than the Electrical Engineering side. In this career you will deal mainly with software development and planning. In this career it is essential for you to know one or more high-level programing languages such as java, C++, etc. Some main responsibilities of a Software Engineer include

  • Designing, coding and debugging applications in various software languages
  • Object-oriented Design and Analysis (OOA and OOD).
  • Software modeling and simulation
  • Software testing and quality assurance.
  • Integrate software with existing systems
  • Implement localization or globalization of software
  • Full life cycle application development.

Typical salary for a Software Engineer as of June 2011 is averaged at $90,000 a year.

 

Overview


As you can see, there are many career paths to choose from with a degree in Computer Engineering. In all of the careers listed above, the main writing you will be doing is descriptions of projects (technical reports) and memorandums to coworkers. For the Computer Engineering field, Computer Architecture, and Chip Architecture field, instruction manuals will be essential in order for the product created to be usable to fellow engineers or even everyday people.

Information copied from http://www.csus.edu/wac/WAC/Students/Major%20Sites/computer_engineering_career_paths.html Links to an external site.on December 1, 2014.

 

According IEEE, there are several options in the computer engineering area.  Below is information from http://www.ieee.org/education_careers/education/preuniversity/careerprep/career_paths.html Links to an external site. that was copied on December 1, 2014.  Notice it provides various job titles for people in this area.

There are many varying job titles and descriptions among organizations in the computer science, computer engineering, and information technology fields. Jobs in these fields usually cover the following areas:

 
  • internet;
  • network and communications;
  • management;
  • sales;
  • data center / computer operations;
  • applications development.
Job titles are often associated with a certain software application or technology, which brings about numerous new job titles as technologies change. University graduates can look for computer-related jobs in the newspaper and on the Internet. Examples job tiles in these fields include:
 
  • Database Analyst;
  • Information Systems Operator;
  • Digital Media Specialist;
  • Network Specialist;
  • Software Engineer;
  • Technical Support Representative;
  • Technical Writer.

Day in the Life of a Software Engineer Links to an external site.

All about Computer Hardware Engineering Links to an external site.

Cool Careers:  Computer Engineer Links to an external site.

 

Suggested Objective b:  Discuss the roles that computer engineers play in society

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Image copied from http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45eghj/3-computer-engineering/ Links to an external site. on December 1, 2014

Software developers typically do the following:

  • Analyze users' needs, then design, test, and develop software to meet those needs
  • Recommend software upgrades for customers' existing programs and systems
  • Design each piece of the application or system and plan how the pieces will work together
  • Create a variety of models and diagrams (such as flowcharts) that instruct programmers how to write the software code
  • Ensure that the software continues to function normally through software maintenance and testing
  • Document every aspect of the application or system as a reference for future maintenance and upgrades
  • Collaborate with other computer specialists to create optimum software

Software developers are in charge of the entire development process for a software program. They begin by asking how the customer plans to use the software. They design the program and then give instructions to programmers, who write computer code and test it. If the program does not work as expected or people find it too difficult to use, software developers go back to the design process to fix the problems or improve the program. After the program is released to the customer, a developer may perform upgrades and maintenance.

Developers usually work closely with computer programmers Links to an external site.. However, in some companies, developers write code themselves instead of giving instructions to computer programmers.

Developers who supervise a software project from the planning stages through implementation sometimes are called information technology (IT) project managers. These workers monitor the project's progress to ensure that it meets deadlines, standards, and cost targets. IT project managers who plan and direct an organization's IT department or IT policies are included in the profile on computer and information systems managers Links to an external site..

The following are types of software developers:

Applications software developers design computer applications, such as word processors and games, for consumers. They may create custom software for a specific customer or commercial software to be sold to the general public. Some applications software developers create complex databases for organizations. They also create programs that people use over the Internet and within a company's intranet.

Systems software developers create the systems that keep computers functioning properly. These could be operating systems that are part of computers the general public buys or systems built specifically for an organization. Often, systems software developers also build the system's interface, which is what allows users to interact with the computer. Systems software developers create the operating systems that control most of the consumer electronics in use today, including those in phones or cars.

Information copied from https://collegegrad.com/careers/software-developers Links to an external site.on December 1, 2014

What Is Computer Engineering? Links to an external site.

Computer Software Engineer - Career Conversation Links to an external site.

 

 

Suggested Objective c:  Recognize computer engineering career activities by participating in a real-world workplace scenario

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Image copied from http://ece.njit.edu/academics/graduate/ms-coe.php Links to an external site. on December 1, 2014

An upcoming assignment will provide an opportunity to participate in a real-world workplace scenario.  Take notes and pay attention as we proceed through our assignments.